Vintage Apache
Basket # 2
Margaret Cross
Collection
Circa 1900
12 1/2"
D x 3 3/4" H
These amazing mono- and polychrome
Apache baskets are part of an early collection that was acquired
during the first decade of the 1900s.
They are in near mint, all
original condition - with no restoration.
They are part of the Margaret
Cross collection, who as a child spent her time exploring Indian
country and subsequently fell in love with the art, history,
and culture of the Southwestern Native American people as an
adult. She single-handedly ammassed one of the greatest Native
American basket collections in the Southwest. Some have said
that the number of pieces she acquired was in the seven to eight
thousand range.
As part of her estate, these
baskets were passed along and are being sold by her descendants.
Apache basketry is no longer
practiced in the traditional manner, making these baskets rare
and in some cases extremely valuable.
Made from all natural fibers,
the main body of the basket is composed using split willow, while
the accents are usually devils claw, and other indigenous shrubs.
The two color baskets are considered "monochrome,"
while the three color baskets are "polychrome."